


Kiss Me, Kiss me

by achtungangst



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Kissing, Like, M/M, Mutual Pining, Stage Gay, ashton's really cute and awkward, cute cute cute, fluffy though, i tried okay but i can't write okay, lashton y'all, luke's confusing, malum loves annoying ashton, malum malum malum, mentions of arzaylea but vv light, of course, there's also a little mcr, they also love annoying luke at the end, two mcr references, with a few innuendos courtesy of michael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 00:15:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20164984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/achtungangst/pseuds/achtungangst
Summary: where in luke and ashton like each other and the only time they show it is when they're on stage"You're just jealous that you only get to kiss Ashton when you're on stage," Michael retorts. Luke's eyes widen, and he looks away from Ashton."N-no what. I'm straight," Luke mumbles.





	1. how it started

**Author's Note:**

> hallo hallo !! this was supposed to be a one shot but then i got carried away aaaaa. anyway, this has present day ashton and luke, although 2014 ashton kinda also applies if you want. anyway that's it enjoy!!

It starts when it's a hot summer night in Manila, and the crowd is extraordinarily wild. You could see teenage girls jumping up and down, not looking the least bit tired, despite the humid weather that surrounded them. Michael was over at the right hand side of the stage, saying something into the microphone that made the girls scream even louder.  
  
This, the crowd, the energy, the excitable ambiance, always hyped Ashton up. It was one of the reasons he wanted to do this job. Not only for the music, but also for the happiness and energy you would feel every concert. Manila though, was always one of the most active and responsive crowds, and Ashton was living for it.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Calum waving to the crowd, and the screams just get louder. It's always amazed Ashton, the way fans could scream so loud and sometimes he's genuinely concerned for their vocal cords.  
  
Somehow though, over all the noise that was deafening him, Ashton could still feel the beat of his own heart. Of course he's nervous, he always is, but he's also ready. He readies himself to present himself to the noisy audience, mouths a 'goodluck' to Luke and he receives one back, and everything from there is almost like a distant dream.  
  
It's almost like everything passes by like a blur, when it's their concerts. You would think that they were vivid memories but no, everything was so alive and it's almost as if Ashton couldn't keep up with it. One moment, he's on his drumset banging the life out of his drums, another he's right beside Luke, kissing the living daylights out of him. His hands are suddenly up in Luke's hair, disarranging the nicely made hairstyle Luke made for himself, and Luke's hands were suddenly tucked comfortably at Ashton's waist.  
  
He doesn't realize it quickly, and apparently Luke doesn't either. It's just that this song had always been his favorite, and so he stopped playing drums to take over guitar, for a change. Calum was at his drum kit, and Michael had Calum's bass in his hand.  
  
This song had no Michael solo, no Calum vocals, just Luke. And Luke's voice, Luke's voice always sounds so hurt when he sings, and even if Ashton should be used to hearing it like that, he's never going to be used to it. Lie to Me might have been one of the most overplayed songs on their album, but he can never and will never get over it.  
  
Ashton now actually feels the moment, and he feels Luke's lips on his and Ashton's swears it's a dream because Luke's lips are incredibly soft despite being chapped. He feels Luke's arm go around him and he feels Luke's hand on his back, pulling him closer. It has always been a dream of Ashton, to kiss Luke, and so he felt like he was in a dream and he forgot that they were supposed to be singing 'la la la la lie to me'.  
  
Soon, both of them feel themselves being torn apart, and that's when everything sinks in. Ashton doesn't even remember who started the kiss-- they just clashed. He doesn't know how their lips ended up on each others, all he knows is that he was drawn to Luke at that moment. He never meant for there to be any lip locking.  
  
Of course, Ashton pretends that everything that just happened was normal, nothing out of the ordinary. If there was anything Ashton was amazing at aside from playing his drums, it was effectively hiding away his real emotions. Being the least appreciated member, in Ashton's opinion at least, made looking fine just a little easier because no one really paid as much attention to him. Luke though, he walked off the stage in a hurry, not sparing one last look at Ashton, at the crowd. Not like the crowd noticed. They were busy reeling over the fact that the drummer and lead vocalist of their favorite band just shared a smooch on stage.  
  
More than a smooch actually. More like, an intense and heated make out session.  
  
He should have stayed at the back, with his drum kit.  
  
Luckily for the band, Michael and Calum took over the microphones and bade the crowd goodbye on behalf of the band. Ashton, on the other hand, was still dazed and confused from the realization that he had kissed his bestfriend and not only that, he kissed him onstage. It was no big deal, he kept telling himself. It wasn't like he had feelings for the younger boy. It was a spur of the moment thing, despite it being unconventional. He knew it was, because if it wasn't, what was it?  
  
"Hey, Ash. Stop overthinking," Michael said, lightly nudging Ashton as they walked the narrow hallways of the backstage. Ashton didn't even know when he went off the stage, but he assumed that either Calum or Michael just dragged him down the stage. Calum trailed behind them, not too far back.  
  
"I'm not. I'm just walking," Ashton insists, trying to assure them. He knows he isn't able to convince either of them though when Michael snorts unattractively, and Calum coughs in an attempt to hide a giggle.  
  
"Great friends. Now why don't you guys just catch up with Luke instead of me? As I recall, he's the one who walked out of the stage without any warning," Ashton reminded them, his thoughts immediately going to the younger boy. Usually, it's Michael who loves walking out, during practices and actual concerts because his temper is the absolute worst. Maybe Calum too because he's almost like a puppy when it comes to Michael. Ashton had his fair share of tantrums too, especially when Michael kept insisting on eating his 5th slice of pizza instead of working on the guitar riff he promised to write. Luke, however, was always the most chill of them all. He laughed things off, and he rarely got mad at anyone. Maybe at Calum sometimes, when he steals Luke's penguin for fun, but that's the worst it's ever been.  
  
"How about, you go after him," Michael suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.  
  
"Wow Michael, what an amazing suggestion. I'll go talk to him about the thing that happened on stage a while ago, which I happen to be involved in," Ashton retorted, voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"Well Irwin, we're here with you because Luke refuses to speak with anyone," Michael says, returning Ashton's attitude.  
  
Ashton hated that. Not, Michael's response, but knowing that Luke's isolating himself again. He hated it whenever Luke got hurt. He remembers the time Luke rode a bike and bumped into a tree. Ashton almost had the tree cut down, and he only didn't because Calum kept whining about nature and the environment and of course Michael backed him up.  
  
When Arzaylea left Luke, that was the worst Luke's ever been. It took literal months to get him out of his bed, much less his room. No one knew how much it hurt Ashton too, and honestly, Ashton knew no one probably cared.  
  
"Fine," Ashton finally says with annoyance in his voice. "I'll talk to Luke."  
  
"Now that's the spirit! Come on, chill out Ash. Calum and I kiss all the time," Michael says, patting Ashton's back hard. Calum snorts and rolls his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, you like you had to say it. The both of you are like rabbits all over the place," Ashton mumbles. Ever since Michael and Calum got together, they wouldn't stop kissing. At first, Ashton thought it was pretty cute because the two of them finally were able to be a couple after the 10 months of sexual frustration between them. But then they all caught up with it the 1 month they got together, so Luke and Ashton always had this thing where they looked at each other and rolled their eyes whenever they caught Michael and Calum making out.  
  
"Hey! At least we don't suddenly kiss on stage," Calum retorts, shrugging when Ashton glares at him. It doesn't surprise Ashton when Michael high fives Calum instead of taking Ashton's side.  
  
"That's why I love you," Michael says, pressing a kiss to Calum's cheek.  
  
"Because we don't kiss on stage?" Calum asks, confused, because if there's anyone who had a thing for voyeurism it was Michael.  
  
"No, because you're a smart ass. You know I'd kiss you on stage if I could," Michael says, pouting at Calum as if he were a young boy asking his mom for a lollipop.  
  
"Then kiss me on stage what are you waiting for?" Calum asks casually. Michael's eyes light up at Calum's words.  
  
"What? Are you for real? Aw Cal you're the best but you know, my mom doesn't know I kiss you despite the fact that she knows we're a couple. She thinks I'm still a boy," Michaels says, frowning when he realizes that he still can't kiss Calum.  
  
"It's okay Mikey." Ashton doesn't know exactly when Calum goes in front of him, but what he knows is that they stopped walking in order to hug each other tight.  
  
"Can you both just shut up and find Luke?" Ashton finally complains. He doesn't hate that two of his best friends are madly in love with each other. If anything, he's ecstatic that the two had finally come to their senses and stopped sub tweeting each other, but then one does get tired of the constant cheesiness in the air. Also, there's the fact that they had to find Luke.  
  
"You're just jealous that you and Luke had a fight after just one kiss while Calum and I are still a couple after a hundred," Michael huffs childishly.  
  
"After a million you mean. Also, we didn't plan that kiss, and we're definitely not a couple," Ashton grumbles. He doesn't like Luke like that.  
  
"Really? I thought you two actually were and you were just hiding it from me and Michael, which would have been ridiculous thinking about it because Michael and I have been a couple for way longer than you two," Calum says with genuine shock on his face.  
  
"We're not together! I swear to God!"  
  
"Then why is Luke always at your room when he's supposed to be my roommate?" Michael whines.  
  
"I don't know Michael, maybe because Calum keeps going to your room and you two are at it like fish gasping for air."  
  
"Hey! You're mean. At least we don't sneak glances at each other when the other isn't looking and pretend that we're completely platonic friends," Michael protests.  
  
"We are completely platonic friends. And you and Calum used to do that, remember?" Ashton reminds with a smirk.  
  
It just so happens that Calum is drinking from a bottle of water when Ashton says that exact sentence. Calum almost chokes, causing Michael to glare at Ashton.  
  
"Michael, I didn't choke Calum on purpose can you stop staring like that?" Ashton says as he rubs Calum's back.  
  
"Well, Calum wouldn't have choked if you weren't an oblivious and stupid idiot. With the way you two stare at each other's butts when the other isn't looking? Platonic my ass," Michael says. He completely ignores Ashton about his statement about he and Calum used to be like that too.  
  
"Isn't stupid idiot kind of redundant?" Calum asks when he's finally okay.  
  
"No. Ashton's both stupid and an idiot."  
  
Ashton crosses his arms, and before he has the chance to come up with a reply, Michael speaks up again.  
  
"So, Luke's in there," Michael says, gesturing towards the door. At first, Ashton doesn't really know what to do because, what will he do? He knows that he likes kissing Luke, even if that kiss was a one time thing, but what would he say? Hey Luke, I liked kissing you maybe we should do it again? And if Luke storming off the stage was any implication that he didn't like the kiss, he definitely shouldn't be saying that.  
  
"Ashton, all you're going to have to do is open the fucking door," Michael says impatiently. Calum shoots him a look but says nothing, while Ashton sighs defeatedly before slowly opening the door.  
  
As soon as Ashton entered, he heard the door behind him close. Obviously, it was Michael making sure Ashton doesn't back out from this.  
  
"Hey, Luke. Are you okay?"  
  
No one answers, so Ashton takes this as an opportunity to take a better look. It was an old storage room, and there were various props and costumes from previous performances that no one needed anymore but were still kept anyway. Then he sees Luke, at the corner of the room, silently sitting down with his knees to his chest. He's using his phone, and if he noticed Ashton's presence, there was no indication that he did.  
  
"Luke, hey I'm sorry," Ashton starts, because he's already blamed this whole thing on himself. If his damn hormones were calm, Luke wouldn't be ignoring him and Luke wouldn't have that face where in he's trying to act nonchalant but it's still obvious that something's bothering him.  
  
"Sorry for what?" Luke tilts his head to the side, trying to act oblivious but Ashton knows. In fact, Ashton knows too well that something other than the kiss is bothering him and soon his mind wanders to Arzaylea and he feels his heart clench.  
  
"You know what? Nothing. Let's go to the bus." Luke shrugs and follows Ashton with no further questions, so Ashton decides to leave everything at that.  
  
They walked side by side, but at that moment, Ashton felt like they were miles apart.  
  
...  
  
"You know Ashton, Roy talked to me earlier today and he said that the fans absolutely loved your make out session with Luke," Michael teases as he saunters into the bus and goes straight for Ashton's bed before Ashton can scream no. Because he just knows that Michael's going to leave all of his pizza crumbs on his bed and he's not going to care even if Ashton whines about it all day to him.  
  
"I have twitter Michael I'm not fucking blind," Ashton mumbles. He hates how Michael's making fun of the whole thing, as if he didn't see how much it affected himself and Luke. Especially Luke. It's been a few days after the incident, and while Luke seems fine, they aren't as close as they used to be and they both knew it. There were no more late night movies at Luke's bed, no more hugs before shows, and everything that involved touching the other just stopped happening.  
  
Speaking of Luke, he hasn't seen him all day. He contemplates asking Michael or Calum but Calum's clueless, and Michael probably knows but won't tell him anyway. Ashton also thinks of texting Luke, but then locks his phone and puts it in his pocket. He realizes that even in the event that Luke texts back, he's not going to be able to face him either way.  
  
Calum soon enters the bus after Michael, this time with a taco in his hand and Ashton just wants to scream because Calum doesn't know how to eat a taco without spilling the ingredients inside it. Calum heads straight to Luke's bed, but he knows it's only a matter of minutes before he ends up in Michael's lap, and his taco ends up on his sheets.  
  
"But you are blind," Calum says, referencing all the times Ashton couldn't find the cereal even if it was in front of him. Michael grins brightly at Calum and invites him to sit on his lap. It's at these times that Ashton regrets getting to lower part of the bunk bed. Calum's taco fillings and the crust of Michael's pizza gathered on Ashton's mattress, and that's when he realizes that he doesn't have food. He takes this as an opportunity to leave the bus and pretend he isn't going to find Luke but instead look for food.  
  
"I'm going to find food because I don't want to hear you two tease me about my apparent disability to see things," Ashton grumbles, so annoyed at his two bandmates at this point that he doesn't even have the strength to argue with them. Everyone knew Ashton was always the chirpiest and the most enthusiastic member among them all, but he also happens to be the moodiest one next to Michael.  
  
"What? You're going to find Luke?" Michael asks when Ashton starts grabbing his phone and jacket from the bed, knowing that it would annoy Ashton.  
  
"No, I'm going to find food."  
  
"Yeah, same thing. Luke sure does look like a snack doesn't he Michael," Calum says, joining in the teasing with Michael once again. Calum winks at Ashton, causing him to groan in annoyance.  
  
"I hate this band," Ashton says, purposely saying it as he passes by Calum and Michael. He steps out of the bus and he's frankly thankful he's away from his two bandmates for now.  
  
...  
  
A few minutes later, Ashton finds himself in a music store nearby. It's not like he needed anything--his drumkit and drumsticks were brand new for the tour and he just didn't really need anything in general. The truth behind it all is, Ashton was looking for Luke. After grabbing a hotdog or two from a stall near their tour bus, he spent the next few minutes wandering the streets looking for places Luke had possibly gone to. Ashton would never admit it to Michael or Calum, but Luke avoiding him stung. Sure, he acted as if none of them really meant that kiss and sure, both of them assured everyone that they were fine, but were they?  
  
So this music store, it was playing Amnesia. Ashton smiled to himself while pretending to look for something to buy, when in fact, he was looking for a blond haired dude with lanky legs in a leather jacket.  
  
The song was about to end, and so was Ashton's patience. He vowed to leave when the song ended and he really was about to leave when he hears a voice he knew all too well.  
  
"Two guitar string packs please, the most expensive ones."  
  
Luke.  
  
Ashton steadies his breath and and tries not to make his presence known. He finds it funny, because he realizes now that he never really expected to find Luke, and not this soon.  
  
"Hey, aren't you one of the guys who sang that song?" The woman at the counter asked while turning to get the strings Luke was asking for. The girl looked about Luke's age, and she seemed nice enough.  
  
Ashton quickly hid behind the grand piano near him. He didn't know why he did, it was Luke for goodness sake. Still, he stay where he was and watched Luke as he talked to the woman at the counter.  
  
"Yeah, I am," Luke says with a bright smile on his face. How was he this cheery when he was all frowns in the tour bus?  
  
"Oh my god, my sister was at your show and she showed me a video of you and your boyfriend kissing! You two are so cute," the woman gushed. Ashton saw the smile on Luke's face slowly fade, but Luke managed to hold it up before leaving the place.  
  
"Thank you. It's a stage act, we're not really together," Luke says politely. Try as he might to convince himself he didn't, Ashton felt a pang in his chest at Luke's words.  
  
"Aw, that's sad. The both of you are very cute. But it's fine, MCR did it too so I totally get what's happening. Anyway, you're a busy guy, you get going," the female urged. Luke thanked the woman again for the strings, but then the girl insisted that he paid for them anyway so there's nothing really for him to thank her for. When Ashton was really sure that Luke was gone, he stood up from the shelves and grabbed a guitar pick.  
  
"Here," he said quietly, fishing some coins from his pocket to pay. It would have been rude to not get anything after staying in the store for so long.  
  
"Hey, you're the drummer aren't you? Why weren't you with Luke?" The girl at the counter asks. Ashton shrugs. He knows there's no point in lying-- he might not even see this girl ever again.  
  
"Stuff," Ashton replied curtly, hoping that sufficed and the woman wouldn't say any more. Unfortunately for Ashton, that wasn't the case.  
  
"Ah, it's the kiss ain't it? Don't worry, the fans love it so don't be scared to be yourselves onstage," the girl tells Ashton with a bright smile. Not like Luke's though. Luke's smile was blinding.  
  
"Thanks..." Ashton squints his eyes to read the name on the woman's nameplate. "Kaitlyn."  
  
"Welcome Mr. Irwin, it's my job. Oh! And I totally forgot. I can't believe both Luke Hemmings and Ashton Irwin entered my store today and I almost let that opportunity pass without getting my sister a signature." Kaitlyn pulls out a wooden guitar and a sharpie.  
  
"Here, could you sign?" Ashton happily obliges and signs the guitar.  
  
"Hope your sister loves it. Stay nice Kaitlyn."  
  
"I'm always nice. Hey, and you. Make you and Luke work okay? If you guys ain't a thing yet. Because damn, you two are it. If we're being honest, that kiss doesn't look like an But don't take me the wrong way, if you both don't have anything for each other, don't force things just because a random cashier lady told you so."  
  
Ashton laughs, because the girl was nice, and the first person who didn't directly force him to continue whatever it was he started with Luke. Aside from Michael and Calum, there was the band manager who told him what a success his kiss with Luke was. Ashton didn't care about what his manager thought would look good for the band. What he did care about was Luke and where he was and how he was doing--  
  
"Hey, dude. Catch up with Luke yeah? And patch things up with him. Thanks again," Kaitlyn says, holding the guitar that Ashton had signed.  
  
"Yeah, thanks," Ashton says before running out of the store to look for Luke. She was right, he needed to patch things up with Luke.  
  
Ashton found Luke at a small cafeteria that looked like it could fall apart any moment. Of course he saw Luke; he was a tall white guy with blond hair in the midst of crowds of people who were relatively small with darker complexions and black hair.  
  
Luke was currently chatting up an old woman, whose English could not get any worse but still, Luke looked happy. He already felt the rejection, and he just knew he wouldn't be able to handle it. Luke looked okay, like the kiss hadn't fazed him, while he, Ashton, was dying to settle things, to know more.  
  
While Ashton was about to walk away, he doesn't know that Luke spots him. Luke calls out Ashton's name.  
  
"Ashton! Did you need something?" Luke shouts. Ashton doesn't turn around. He just smiles bitterly to himself before answering.  
  
"Nothing! Just checking on you. See you at the bus," Ashton replies coldly, leaving the place without sparing Luke a second glance.  
  
"No, wait. Are you okay?" Suddenly, Luke is right behind him. He turns Ashton around so that he's facing Luke and Ashton forces a smile on his face.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay. We're okay," Ashton says, adding that last part because he knew that question was coming.  
  
"Then why are you avoiding me?" Ashton looks down.  
  
"I'm not. You are," Ashton replies, surprised that Luke even thought that he was avoiding him. If anything, Ashton wanted to be closer to Luke, to be wherever he was.  
  
"Really? So everything's fine?" Luke clarifies, Ashton nods right away, eager to leave because Luke put his hand on Ashton's shoulder and he feels like he could melt if he stayed like that for another second.  
  
"Yes, everything's fine," Ashton assures him before leaving and realizing that Michael and Calum were right at two things.  
  
One, he's been in love with Luke this whole time he just didn't know it and two, he does look at Luke's butt at times.  
  
...  
  
Pretty much everything falls back into place after the Manila show. Luke seems forget the kiss ever really happened. Ashton pretended that he forgot it too, to hide the fact that he was the only one who actually put value to it between the two of them. Thankfully for Ashton, Michael and Calum didn't bring it up any more when the two were together.  
  
"Ashton, can you stop finishing the cereal? I swear to god I'll put it on the top shelf where you can't reach it," Luke whines as he eyes the empty box of cereal he's holding.  
  
"He eats it all in one go because he can't see the box sometimes even when it's right in front of him. So when he does see it, he takes advantage of that," Calum snickers, earning a glare from Ashton.  
  
"I'll stop finishing the cereal when Calum stops finishing the damn Vegemite. Speaking of Vegemite, where is it? I know we still had some left," Ashton says, searching the shelves on the tour bus, but to no avail.  
  
"It's in my stomach now," Michael says from his bed. Everyone looks up, since he took the top bunk, and both Calum and Ashton groan collectively when they see Michael holding the empty jar of Vegemite in his hands.  
  
"Not again. I swear, you two lovebirds are the absolute worst. You're lucky we're in Australia now. I'm going out to buy more," Ashton says, grabbing his wallet and phone, and a jacket that was probably Luke's but he didn't care because it was cold at this time of the year. That's the thing about Australia. Sometimes, it was so hot you could burn your toes the moment you step out of the bus, or it was so cold you could freeze your fingertips.  
  
"Hey, wait for me! I need cereal," Luke says, grabbing the same things Ashton did. Ashton shrugged.  
  
"Okay, meet you outside," Ashton shouts.  
  
Ashton patiently waits outside but if he's being honest, he's terrified to go to the grocery with Luke because this will be the first time since the kiss that he'd be alone with Luke. Ever since the kiss, he noticed so much more things about is best mate. How he's particular about the products he uses in his hair, the way he bites his lip when choosing something to order in a restaurant, how he hates how disgusting Michael's clothes become when he eats while playing video games but hugs Michael when he asks anyway, how he hides his small penguin toy from Calum whenever he comes to chat with Luke on his bed in the tour bus, the list could go on and on.  
  
He's falling for Luke, despite knowing the fact that he hasn't got a chance and that he'll be facing inevitable rejection and a terrible heartbreak in the end.  
  
When Luke finally steps out of the bus, which is actually just a few seconds after Ashton did but it felt like eternity to him, Ashton wraps an arm around Luke's shoulder because he's tired of being cautious around Luke and he's tired of not being able to touch him because he's scared Luke might flinch or something. He doesn't realize how tall Luke's become though, so he removes his arm right away and frowns.  
  
"When did you get so tall?" Ashton asks, frowning. Luke giggles softly, which gives Ashton a hard time to not kiss Luke right there and then, and then he replies.  
  
"You're just a runt," Luke says, laughing louder when Ashton pouts.  
  
"You're mean Hemmings," Ashton mumbles to himself, but in reality he's happy because the awkwardness he anticipated between himself and Luke wasn't there, so he easily slid back into the routine he and Luke used to have with each other.  



	2. how it progressed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's chapter 2 like I promised! please enjoy,, and don't be afraid to correct me if there are any errors 💖

It's the next day, meaning that they had the Sydney show that night. The first show after the kiss, and Ashton's nervous because what if he kisses Luke again. You'd think he'd be ecstatic at the prospect of kissing Luke again but he was too scared of Luke ignoring him like he had last time.  
  
"Hey Ash, you okay? You look like you're about to shit your pants," Michael says when he enters the backstage room where all of them were supposed to wait until they go up the stage.  
  
"I'm just nervous okay," Ashton mumbles.  
  
"Nervous for what? There's nothing special about this show as far as I remember. Ah, are you going to propose to Luke?"  
  
"No, how many times do I have to tell everyone that we're not together?"  
  
It's true. Ever since the kiss, nobody wanted to believe that the two were, in fact, not a couple, and that they were just really really good friends. Friends with feelings, in Ashton's case.  
  
"Many times actually," Calum says, joining in the conversation. "With the way you hang out with each other? No way dude. You know the thing that Luke does when you two are watching a netflix show on your bed? The one where he ends up falling on your lap because apparently, he's sleeping? Nuh uh bro, he's wide awake. He just wants an excuse to put his head on your lap." Michael's eyes widen in agreement, and he stands up and points at Ashton.  
  
"Oh yeah! And also, do you remember that time we went to that bar last weekend? The one full of rich, snobby dudes? I saw this gay olympic swimmer flirting with Luke and Ashton comes right in saying 'hey, luke, you wanna go grab a drink? I'm parched' even though I've literally seen Ashton grabbing any and every drink in the room because he couldn't handle the fact that little Lukey was paying attention to someone else," Michael mocks. Calum bursts out in laughter and Michael joins in. Luke enters the room to two of his best friends literally rolling on the floor, laughing, while Ashton was on the couch shaking his head in exasperation.  
  
"What happened here? Why are you guys laughing without me?" Luke says with a pout and Ashton's not kidding, it's the most adorable fucking thing in the world and he almost forgets that Luke's expecting an answer from him. It takes actual effort for Ashton to not blush under Luke's gaze, but he manages.  
  
"They're making fun of me," Ashton simply says, telling Luke with pout of his own but he knows that he wasn't as cute as Luke.  
  
"Aw, Ash. Come here, let's leave them alone," Luke says, grabbing Ashton's hand to drag him to the stage for the soundcheck and Ashton almost flinches at the contact. Luke's hand isn't special, let's face it. It isn't overly soft because he's a guitar player and he's bound to have calloused hands, but the fact that it was Luke holding his hand made it special.  
  
"Hey if you leave us you don't have a bassist!" Calum reminds them, still laughing.  
  
"Or a guitarist!" Michael shouts too.  
  
"I'm a guitarist too Mikey!" Luke yells.  
  
"Not as good as I am," Michael replies. Before Luke can say anything else, he and Ashton are already on stage. Luke lets go of Ashton's hand and Ashton pretends not to be disappointed.  
  
"I'll just test the guitars okay?" Luke says, leaving Ashton's side. Ashton knows that he's probably supposed to be fixing his drum set or something, but he resorts to listening to Luke tune guitars and test microphones.

...

Ashton knows that he's probably supposed to be fixing his drum set or something, but he resorts to listening to Luke tune guitars and test microphones. There was something therapeutic in watching Luke playing with equipment, having fun in something as trivial as making sure his instruments were at their best quality. Luke was a perfectionist, so he handled everything with precision and at the same time, with gentleness.  
  
"You know Ash, take a picture. It'll last longer," Calum says from behind Ashton. Ashton jumps in surprise, because what normal person starts surprising people with his presence?  
  
"Jesus Christ," Ashton exclaims, jumping up and quickly shifting his position so that he isn't facing Luke anymore.  
  
"Nah, just Calum Hood," Calum replies with a grin. Ashton rolls his eyes but smiles fondly at Calum anyway before turning back to face Luke. He finds that he's content at staring from afar, because he knows he's lucky to even be friends with such an amazing person. He hears Calum from beside him sigh.  
  
"You know, I was like you at first. When I realized that oh shit i love michael like, more than a friend, I was so messed up man. You know Michael, he's a high maintenance person, but it was worth it you know? Michael's rejection was at the top of my list of fears, so I resorted to tweeting stuff about him. Lucky for me, he caught up and did the same thing. If it weren't for you and Luke though, we wouldn't have gotten together. Do you know that?" Calum asks. Ashton shakes his head. He remembers that, the annoying point in their lives when Calum kept tweeting stuff that the fans thought were knew song lyrics but in reality, they were just random tweets meant for Michael. He never knew though, that he and Luke were ultimately the reason Calum and Michael finally got together in the first place. It was just boom, they were together suddenly and no one was surprised.  
  
"Yeah, the four of us were at this party and you two were so wasted. Luke was clinging to you like this vine on a branch, and you were just laughing at something, I think Niall Horan, said. You laughed like it was the funniest thing on earth and I swear to god, Niall's jokes are the absolute worst and I know you hate them. Anyway, Michael and I just knew we had to bring the two of you home and we took that as an excuse to leave the party early. So while I was driving, you kept saying a lot of things. Damn, you're such a talkative drunk and you're so literate, it's funny. Anyway so you kept saying a lot of things about me and Michael but the thing that struck me the most was when you said 'I hate it when you two subtweet each other when it's obvious both of you are talking about each other. Just fuck and go,' I believe is what you said. And that's not it, Luke goes like 'Yeah Ashy babe I hate that too. Also how Michael keeps bribing me to room with you so that he could stay with Calum.' So when we finally send the two of you home, Michael just looks me straight in the eye and says 'I love you Cal, let's eat some pizza'. Which, honestly, thinking about it now, is the least romantic way to tell someone you like them but in retrospect, it's the most Michael thing to do and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way." Calum ends his story with a content smile, and Ashton feels happy for Calum. But he's not Calum, and Luke doesn't like him like that. Every could see how Michael always left a slice of pizza for Calum and Calum only, how Michael loved bugging Calum the most, and how he always found a way to stay the nearest to Calum, by hook or by crook.  
  
"I'm not sunshine and cupcakes like you are though. Everyone knew Michael loved you, it was just a matter of time before you two realized it," Ashton says with a soft smile, although he feels his heart sinking even lower.  
  
"Dude, you really are blind. Literally and figuratively. I can't believe it. Do you even see how Luke looks at you when you enter the room? Like you're the literal sun? Hell, he looks at you like you're God himself," Calum says, almost yelling, moving his arms frantically as if that would prove his point.  
  
"Hey, you guys okay back there?" Luke calls from where he was testing the last microphone--Michael's because Michael never checked his microphone--and was frowning in concern for the other two. Ashton had almost forgotten that Luke was there.  
  
"Nah, we're okay," Ashton shouts back. He looks at Calum and shakes his head. When Luke doesn't look convinced but goes back to checking the microphone again anyway, Ashton replies to Calum.  
  
"Pfft. Bunch of lies. He's probably smitten with some girl out there without us knowing again. But you're a good friend Calum," Ashton says with a bitter smile. Calum's so frustrated at this point but before he can say anything else, they're being called to their positions.  
  
"Everyone in their places! We start in 5," a control guy says. Ashton sees Michael press a short kiss to Calum's cheek before the going to his place. Luke sees it too, and he gives this look that says oh my god, not again and Ashton wants to laugh because it's been a thing they've been doing ever since Michael and Calum got together but now, he's been wanting to do the same but with Luke. Ashton rolls his eyes in reply, sending an easy smile to Luke.  
  
"Goodluck Ash," Luke mouths. Ashton gives a thumbs up, and even if he knows Luke said that as a friend, it gives him strength to do his best show yet.  
  
At first, it goes as normal as all shows go. They play Voodoo Doll first, then She Looks So Perfect, then Want You Back. Everyone loves it, as per usual. Then Jet Black Heart plays and during Michael's solo after Ashton's bridge, Ashton sees Calum run to Michael's microphone to sing in it. At first, Ashton just finds it weird but he doesn't think much of it, until he realizes that Calum was about to kiss Michael but he didn't. Ashton applauded the amount of self-control Calum had at that moment because everyone loves Michael's solo in Jet Black Heart, and Jet Black Heart was always so intense.  
  
What Ashton doesn't know is that everyone also loves his drum part in Jet Black Heart, and that Luke was staring at him as he banged the drums in that part of the song.  
  
Soon, Jet Black Heart ends and the crowd calms down a little. Ashton's a little breathless, because Jet Black Heart always does that to them. Thankfully, their next song was pretty easy so Ashton wasn't worrying about possible kiss encounters with Luke in this song.  
  
"Our next song for tonight is She's Kinda Hot! Give it up everyone!" Luke shouts into the crowd. And just like that, everyone's energy level is sky high again.  
  
Ashton is wrong though. Everything goes downhill when Luke starts changing pronouns and nouns into masculine terms, like 'girlfriend' to 'boyfriend', and 'She's kinda hot' to 'He's kinda hot'. He's about to lose it when Luke screams 'He put me on meds, He can't get out of my head'.  
  
He can see Michael and Calum sending him small smirks in his direction, but he doesn't mind them. He knows Luke; he loves riling up the fans.  
  
So Ashton keeps doing what he does; banging his drums like it's nobody's business. He screams every lyric he can, and he preoccupies himself with giving the crowd the best performance he can to distract himself from the way Luke's basically eating his microphone, and also from the glances Luke keeps sending him. Only does he calm down when it's the bridge, his part.  
  
It's easy enough. Sing the lyrics 'sometimes I'm feeling like I'm going insane, my neighbor told me that I got bad brains'. It's easy, and he isn't even playing that much drums there. But then Ashton sees Luke running towards Ashton during the guitar solo and Ashton's brain just goes fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck what is luke going to do where is he going, but of course he's still drumming like crazy.  
  
By the time it's his part, Ashton can feel Luke by his side but he ignores the fact that he's there. Ashton's ready to sing his part flawlessly, maybe adding a little flair or something to his drum part after he sings, but right after he sings the line 'sometimes i'm feeling like i'm going insane', Luke goes and destroys all of Ashton's mental plans by pressing his lips to Ashton's for a quick peck and leaves just in time for Ashton to sing his next line. So you could only imagine how Ashton sang his next line; out of breath and unfocused. He's lucky though, because no one heard it over the thousands of people screaming at the second kiss. Even though it was relatively shorter than the first one (who are we kidding, the first one was a full on make out session), Ashton felt more about this kiss. This time, he knew how the kiss happened, he knew that he wasn't dreaming.  
  
They finish the show by singing Youngblood, and by this time, Ashton's absolutely exhausted and confused by Luke, so he sends a kiss and a bright smile to the lovely crowd before exiting the stage in a rush.  
  
He finds his manager and asks him where the tour bus is. He heads right there without waiting for any of the others.  
  
Right now, he needs space.  
  
...  
  
The next day, he wakes up to Michael and Calum fighting over some pillow on the couch. He doesn't mean to, but his eyes immediately search the room for Luke.  
  
"He's in the restroom," Calum says when he sees Ashton sitting up on his bed.  
  
"Not looking for him," Ashton quickly replies, ignoring the look Michael was giving him.  
  
Suddenly, the door to the restroom opens, revealing Luke in a towel.  
  
"Michael, where's my shampoo? One more time you steal my shampoo, I'm leaving this band. I had to borrow Ashton's--oh hey Ash, good morning."  
  
Luke smiles innocently, like real innocently. Like, he didn't just initiate the kiss that happened between them yesterday. Ashton tries hard not to look at Luke's body, so he looks straight into his eyes instead.  
  
"We need to talk," is what Ashton says, standing up this time, because looking up at Luke while he was half-naked was weird.  
  
"About what--"  
  
"You need to stop doing that! You need to stop pretending that there's nothing happening Luke! You can't just pretend that we didn't fucking kiss on stage yesterday!" Ashton shouts, making the younger boy flinch.  
  
"I'm going to buy another pillow Michael, wanna come?" Calum suddenly asks Michael. Michael stands up from the couch and nods.  
  
"Yeah, the pillows here are shit anyway," Michael says quietly while following Calum out of the bus.  
  
When the two are gone, Ashton faces Luke again.  
  
"So what was yesterday all about? After the first kiss, you ignored me for 4 days and you left me wondering what I did wrong because from what I remember, you were as involved in that kiss as I was," Ashton yells angrily. Luke opens his mouth to answer, but Ashton adds another thing.  
  
"And then I'd finally forgotten the Manila show, because you seemed to have done so too, and then you come and kiss me in this show too. Fuck, Luke. You're so confusing," Ashton says that last part so quietly, his voice breaking because he knows that Luke doesn't like him. These kisses are just small tastes of something he can never and will never have.  
  
"I'm sorry Ash. I just, our manager texted me about how the kiss publicized the band more, so I thought about doing it again. I'm sorry I never asked you if you were okay with it," Luke says softly.  
  
Ashton didn't know what he was expecting. For Luke to say he kissed him on stage because he secretly loves Ashton too? Of course not, of course it was for the media. Ashton smiles bitterly and hugs Luke. He can't help but feel how Luke small is in his arms, despite him being taller.  
  
"Yeah, yeah of course. Manager told me too. I just didn't expect it yeah? Just warn me again next time okay? I love you Luke." Ashton feels Luke freeze for a moment, but then Luke hugs Ashton back tightly.  
  
"Yeah, you too Ashton."  
  
...  
  
"So, did you get on with it?"  
  
Calum and Ashton decided to eat ice cream at some ice cream store down the alley because according to Calum, they needed bestfriend alone time together. Ashton didn't mind. Time away from Luke right now was time well spent.  
  
"What do you mean? He downright rejected me," Ashton says.  
  
"Really? What did you tell him?"  
  
"I said he was confusing because he ignores me after our first kiss and then initiates the second and then he tells me he did it for the publicity."  
  
"You two are fucking cowards," Calum says, shaking his head.  
  
"Ditto." Ashton looks up to see Michael coming over to their table. He checks if Luke is there, and he lets out a sigh of relief when he sees that he isn't.  
  
"Your alone time with Calum is over. Move bitch," Michael says, shooing Ashton away. Ashton rolls his eyes but moves out of the booth anyway so that Michael could sit next to Calum. Ashton then goes to the seat in front of Calum and Michael.  
  
"So back to Ashton. You and Luke are still quits huh?" Michael asks, licking some ice cream off Calum's cone.  
  
"We're not quits okay. We're just friends and that's how it's going to be forever."  
  
"Wow, forever. What a drama queen," Michael says.  
  
"Cut him some slack Mikey. The guy's heartbroken."  
  
"Calum."  
  
"Who's heartbroken? I think it's me because the three of you decided to eat ice cream without me."  
  
The three look up to see Luke at their table. Ashton groans, because he thought that when Calum said this was their day alone, he though he meant the whole day, not 20 minutes.  
  
Luke then proceeds to sit next to Ashton and looks expectantly at them all.  
  
"Come on, why'd you all stop talking. Start off where you ended. So Ashton's heartbroken because?"  
  
"Because he's a wimp and he doesn't have the balls to ask the one he likes out," Michael shouts before Ashton can say anything.  
  
"What--"  
  
"Really? What does she look like Ash?" Luke asks, and Ashton goes along because it's not like there's anything he can do. He wants to correct Luke, that it's what does he look like but he leaves it at that.  
  
"Beautiful," Ashton said quietly, looking straight into Luke's eyes. Luke looks away, but smiles anyway.  
  
"What else Ashton? Of course she's beautiful. Like, what's her hair color, what does she like to eat, is she really skinny or is she just right, what color are her eyes, is she 26 years old because dammit Ashton why are you so secretive?" At this point, Luke's not even sitting down anymore. His eyebrows are scrunched up together in frustration, and Ashton's nothing but confused.  
  
"Blonde, cereal particularly frosties, just right, ocean blue, 22," Ashton mutters, not looking up at Luke. Calum sends Michael a look and like earlier in the tour bus, Calum leaves the two alone.  
  
"I really need to buy some new picks because someone keeps stealing mine," Calum says, nudging Michael as discreetly as he could. Michael catches on after a few nudges.  
  
"Oh yeah right! Sorry Calum," Michael says.  
  
"You idiot. You're coming with me too so that you can stop stealing from me," Calum whispers to Michael while dragging him out of the store. Michael waves goodbye to Luke and Ashton with a wide grin.  
  
"Just fuck and make up okay?" Michael yells. A mother sends Michael a glare, but Michael just giggles before dashing out of the store with Calum.  
  
"Hey, I'm sorry for lashing out at you Ashton--"  
  
"No, it's fine. It's okay."  
  
For some time, it's just awkward silence between the two. The first awkward silence they'd ever had in their 9, almost 10, years of friendship. It's Luke who first attempts to break the silence.  
  
"Hey, wanna eat some hotdogs?"  
  
And Ashton laughs, because only Luke would offer to eat hotdogs after they'd just had ice cream, which was their desert for Lunch.  
  
"Okay," Ashton says, and before he realizes it, he holds out his hand for Luke to hold. He then realizes that oh shit that's weird we're not even a couple but before he pulls away, Luke grabs his hand with no hesitation.  
  
Ashton doesn't know if he just died or became more alive in that moment.  
  
...  
  
"Ashton! Can you just pick up your phone because I swear to god I'll answer that on my own if you don't," Michael threatened. Ashton groans and grabs his phone, merely ending the call. They have their next show the next day, in Melbourne, and the 5SOS manager has been pestering both Luke and Ashton about the stage gay thing. Ashton doesn't want to push it--he'd only do it if Luke wanted to but it seems like he's completely uninterested to Ashton also had to act like he didn't want to kiss the living daylights out of Luke.  
  
"They're going to call me about my stage gay shit with Luke again," Ashton says, groaning. He throws his phone at Michael, and Michael catches it.  
  
"So, why aren't you answering it?" Michael asks.  
  
"Because I don't like doing it okay? We're not a thing and I don't know if Luke's really okay with it. You and Calum are a couple and management isn't forcing you to be a live porn show," Ashton whines, when in fact he didn't want to do it because he'll only fall deeper for Luke and soon, it's going to be too hard to hide it than it already is.  
  
"They're tired of seeing us do it in the backstage and they're thankful for the break whenever we're performing," Calum says, looking up from the couch where he was playing some video game with Luke.  
  
"You know Ash, if you're worried about me ignoring you, I won't do it again I promise," Luke says, not tearing his eyes away from the screen.  
  
"Are you sure?" Ashton asks, and he prays that Luke says no because he can't handle kissing and touching and pretending to be Luke's love when the whole thing is one-sided.  
  
"Yeah!" Luke says, throwing the game console onto the couch. He lost his game with Calum, but he seems to forget about that because he walks up to Ashton.  
  
"We can start tomorrow, at the Melbourne show," Luke says and before Ashton even has the chance to protest, Michael's dragging him out of the tour bus and into only god knows where.  
  
"Sorry, I just needed to buy Calum a gift for tomorrow because tomorrow's our monthsary," Michael says when they're out of the tour bus, not looking the least bit sorry.  
  
"Why did you have to bring me?"  
  
"Duh, because we're friends. And also because we haven't been hanging as often," Michael says, and Ashton realizes that what with Malum being a thing and them having a band, he hasn't been able to spend time with the guy who invited him to the band in the first place.  
  
"You're such a sap."  
  
"Am not! I'm punk rock!"  
  
"And Luke Hemmings loves me," Ashton replies as a joke, but then Michael can hear the bitter undertone.  
  
"Then I most definitely am punk rock."  
  
...  
  
When Michael and Ashton come back from their small hang out time (which no one, thankfully, interrupts) and Ashton steps on the bus, Luke's already there, waiting.  
  
"Took you long enough. Where'd you two go?" Luke asks, ushering them in.  
  
"Nowhere, we just hung out because we're friends," Ashton explains, plopping down on the couch because he was tired and tomorrow they had another show.  
  
"Okay, cool," Luke says, but stops as if he has something else to say. Ashton quirks an eyebrow at him, so Luke finally complies.  
  
"Do you wanna watch a Netflix show?" Luke asks, with a grin so wide and innocent. He isn't a kid anymore, but Ashton gives in to Luke anyway because it's Luke.  
  
"Fine. My bed," Ashton says, yawning.  
  
"Oh, you're tired," Luke observes, and his smile wanes.  
  
"No, 's okay. Come on," Ashton urges, and Luke smiles brightly before dragging Ashton to his own bed.  
  
"Slow down," Ashton mumbles. Luke giggles before settling into Ashton's lap.  
  
And so the two watch nonsensical netflix shows and movies up until 3 in the morning, and since the two of them were too lazy to move, they end up sleeping together on Ashton's tiny bunk bed.  
  
...  
  
Before the Melbourne show, Ashton finds himself anxious but at the same time, excited about the show. He knows he's going to kiss Luke. Hell, they even talked about which song they're going to kiss, and let's just say that it's the first time Ashton's seriously looking forward to playing Don't Stop.  
  
"Aw, look at little Ashy so cute and nervous," Michael says with a pick in his mouth, while arranging his guitar strap.  
  
"I'm not little. Also, i'm always nervous before shows," Ashton reasons out, but both know that hasn't been the case ever since the Manila show.  
  
"Yeah, nervous of fucking up? You're Ashton Irwin, when have you not given the audience your best?" Michael says  
  
"Wow Mikey that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me in our years of friendship."  
  
"I told you your dick was nice once,"  
  
"Ew no please, I'm telling Calum."  
  
"Go tell him. Your dick was nice but his is amazing I told him thousands of--"  
  
"Forget I said anything." Ashton cuts Michael off, leaving Michael laughing like a maniac.  
  
"I love you Ashton!" Michael says before taking his place on the stage.  
  
"I love me too Mikey!" Ashton shouts back, and honestly he's just thankfully for Michael appeasing his nervousness.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yes this is the second to the last chapter 😔✊ thank you by the way to the people who left kudos on this work!! I just want you to know that you're all amazing people 💖


	3. how it lasted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the last chapter!! i'm not that good in writing, so to everyone who gave this a chance, thank you 💖💞

"Everyone just calm down please! You will all get your chance to meet 5SOS," a security guard outside shouts.  
  
While waiting for the first fan to enter for the meet and greet, the 5SOS members were relaxing in the room in various positions. Michael was on the couch, playing some game on his phone. Calum was lying down on the couch, his head on Michael's lap, tossing an apple up and down repeatedly. Luke and Ashton were leaning against the wall, talking about some random stuff. The thing is, it was more of like Luke talking and Ashton just nodding and observing Luke. His hand was wrapped around Luke's waist (in a friendly way of course), so he was close and he could notice so much. The way he laughed at his own stories, the way his mouth curled when he talked about how disgusting Michael is as a roommate, and the way his voice sometimes cracks while he's talking. It's amazing how you could notice a lot of things about a person when you're giving them your full attention.  
  
"Is it just me or is Ashton also deaf?" Ashton brings himself back to reality, and then he realizes that everyone is staring at him. Even Luke, although it was hard for him to do so since Ashton's head was tucked nicely into his shoulder. Ashton coughs awkwardly and separates himself from Luke.  
  
"What?" Ashton asks.  
  
"Mikey's asking about Luke's lips," Calum supplies. Ashton looks at Luke and he doesn't know if he's imagining the slight tinge of pink that's plastered on Luke's cheeks. He's at a loss, because Ashton never really expected anyone to ask him how Luke's lips felt. He wanted to say that Luke's lips were chapped and firm, and even if he doesn't have his lip ring anymore you could still feel the small hole where it used to be inserted. He also wanted to say that Luke's lips were more than that, that it's not really possible to describe it using the restricting vocabulary of the english language. In short, Luke's lips did not disappoint.  
  
"I don't know. I think they're kind of slimy," Ashton remarks, quickly thinking of another response that wouldn't make him look like a lovesick fool who was currently experiencing unrequited love with his roommate. Luke moves away from Ashton and glares at him rather fondly, if that was even possible.  
  
"That's 'cause i'm singing," Luke protests, pouting rather adorably at all of them. Ashton notices how Luke self-consciously bites his lip when he says that Luke's lips are slimy, and he almost feels bad.  
  
"Ha, excuses Lemmings." Ashton teases, although he had to look away from Luke to hide the fact that he was as red as a tomato.  
  
"Calum's lips are really soft!" Michael adds.  
  
"No one asked," Calum replies.  
  
"So?"  
  
"Whatever." Calum just rolls his eyes and kisses Michael on the lips.  
  
"Cute but ew," Luke comments.  
  
"You're just jealous that you only get to kiss Ashton when you're on stage," Michael retorts. Luke's eyes widen, and he looks away from Ashton.  
  
"N-no what. I'm straight," Luke mumbles.  
  
Calum coughs loudly, intentionally, and Ashton's glad the guard goes in and tells them to prepare themselves because the fans are about to enter.  
  
"Uh, yeah okay let them in," Luke tells the guard, avoiding Ashton's gaze. Ashton, on the other hand, wouldn't look away from Luke.  
  
The fans started going in and every time, it's a surprise. You can never predict fans' reactions to meeting them. One person could be a nice girl who isn't jumpy or screaming loudly like the others, while another could faint the moment they enter the room. The more annoying, but admittedly fun and amusing, fans were the ones that talked so much.  
  
"Oh my god, Ashton Luke Calum and Michael are right in front of me. Gosh Liv it's actually them," one girl gushed to her friend.  
  
"In the flesh," Calum said with a kind smile.  
  
The whole time, the girl kept talking excitedly. She ranged from questions like 'who is english love affair based on' to 'mikey what was your favorite hair color so far'. After she had taken pictures with the 5SOS guys (she really put a lot of effort into her poses), she proceeded to walk out of the room but then stopped before fully leaving. Her friend, Liv, grabbed her arm and shook her head.  
  
"Nikki, don't ask it," Liv said through her teeth.  
  
"Come on Liv. Please?" At this point, the boys were confused and the guard was about to drag them out of the door. The guard already had a grip on Nikki's wrist when she shouted.  
  
"Hey! Is Lashton real?" The girl, apprently named Nikki, shouted at Ashton, since he was the nearest between him and Luke. His eyes widened but then he shook his head.  
  
"I don't know Nikki! Think what you want to think," Ashton yells back, making sure to insert a cheeky wink before the guard successfully ushers Nikki out of her room.  
  
Ashton doesn't know why he did that. He knew that his statement would rile up the fans, and that management could possibly force him to do more with Luke. It was so stupid really, and Ashton regretted saying it the moment he did. He forced himself to look at Luke though, and he never expected the wink he just shot at him.  
  
"Nice one," Luke comments, stealing a chip from Calum, who tried to swat Luke's hand away but was too slow. Ashton gulps nervously, but he gathers up his courage to look at Luke straight in the eye. Luke is straight, he reminds himself repeatedly.  
  
"Expect nothing less from Ashton Irwin."  
  
The rest of the fans enter and a lot of them ask about Luke and Ashton. Only one of them notice Ashton's wardrobe choice though, since no one really pays attention to Ashton most of the time. It's mostly Luke, and Ashton doesn't really mind because Luke is a masterpiece.  
  
"Ashton, isn't that Luke's jacket?" A girl asks. Ashton looks down and realizes that yeah, it is. He didn't notice it, since all of them borrow and steal each other's clothes most of the time, but hee realizes that no one ever called him out for using Luke's jacket. His favorite one, if he wasn't mistaken.  
  
"Oh yeah! I borrowed it from him," Ashton says.  
  
"Knowing Ashton, he probably just stole it," Calum says. The girl giggles softly.  
  
"Luke's clothes look cute on you Ashton," the girl says before leaving.  
  
When she leaves, Ashton feels Luke's gaze on him.  
  
"She's not wrong," Luke whispers so softly into Ashton's ear that Ashton shivers a little.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"My clothes look cute on you." Luke winks at Ashton, leaving his mouth wide open in shock.  
  
Ashton doesn't really know how he isn't dead yet, despite Luke Hemmings existing. He doesn't have anytime to react though, when the next pair of fans enter the room.  
  
...  


When the last of the fans leave, it's just Luke and Ashton in the room. Michael and Calum most likely headed straight to the bus to do another make out session with each other. Ashton's about to leave, already walking out of the room, when he realizes that Luke's not yet going.  
  
"Luke, come on I'm sleepy," Ashton mumbles, tugging on Luke's sleeve so that they could go to the tour bus together. Luke doesn't budge, and he just stares intensely at Ashton.  
  
"I like you."  
  
Ashton take a few minutes to recover from his coughing fit. Luke can't just say that out of the fucking blue.  
  
"Luke, what the hell?" Ashton asks with a glare, but there's no bite in his tone.  
  
"Sorry, sorry." Luke has the nerve to laugh out loud at Ashton's reaction, and although Ashton hates being laughed at, he doesn't find it in him to yell at Luke.  
  
"You know, as a friend," Luke clarifies. Ashton expected that of course but it still felt like a thousand knives stabbing his heart simultaneously. Oh well, Ashton can deal with a little more heartbreak so he urges Luke to continue.  
  
"Most people would have found it weird if I randomly kissed them on stage." Now Ashton knows that he never initiated any of the kisses. That was strangely comforting to know.  
  
"Yeah, and uh, I'm sorry I got you all roped into all of this," Luke ends. Ashton nods, surprised Luke even ever had the guts to say sorry. He was feeling something, an ulterior motive.  
  
"Uh huh," Ashtom urges. He raises an eyebrow at Luke because he just knows he has something else to say. It takes a few moments of a staring contest between Luke and Ashton before Luke finally gives in.  
  
"Promise you won't get mad?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Are you really sure?"  
  
"Luke."  
  
"I'm just making sure!"  
  
"Just hurry up!"  
  
Luke takes a deep breath and then looks at Ashton in the eye.  
  
"I like you." And he doesn't blink. Luke doesn't blink, he just stares at Ashton, painfully waiting for his reaction.  
  
"You already said that," Ashton mumbled. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but dang, Luke was so confusing. Luke closes his eyes and then presses his hand to his forehead.  
  
"Yeah, but like, I like you. Like, Michael and Calum like except less disgusting. Ever since, I don't know actually. Maybe even since I was with Arzaylea. It's not just that you're pretty Ash. You're weirdly kind, like you let Michael eat on your bed even if you're sort of a neat freak, and even if you're always nagging us to finish our parts for the songs, you always make sure that we're okay. And so much more Ash, so much more. That's why I kissed you during the Manila Concert. I couldn't take it, you were too pretty and radiant and I couldn't just stay away. Then I ran away because I realized that I never had your consent, and that you didn't like me. But then you kissed back Ash, that's why I kept coming for more. I couldn't accept the fact that kissing you was a glimpse of heaven, and that I couldn't have more," Luke's playing with his fingers, no longer looking into Ashton's eyes at this point.  
  
"I like you Ash, and I'm sorry," Luke says weakly when Ashton still doesn't say anything.  
  
"What?" Ashton asked dumbly.  
  
"Yeah, so um, I got to go--" Luke says quickly, thinking that Ashton doesn't feel the same. It takes minutes for it to sink in for Ashton that damn, Luke kind of likes him too.  
  
"No!" Ashton shouts, and Luke jumps in surprise. "Sorry, I mean stay," Ashton says softly, grabbing Luke's wrist.  
  
Ashton doesn't really know what to say because he's still reeling over the fact the that holy shit Luke likes him back. He just kind of holds Luke in place, staring into his eyes.  
  
"Ash, are you okay? Is this the part where you tell me that hey, sorry Luke I'm straight because if yes, please stop prolonging the agony," Luke whispers. Ashton can see tears start to form in Luke's eyes so he pulls Luke closer to him, kissing him full on the lips.  
  
"No cameras around. Is that answer emough for you?"  
  
Luke doesn't answer with words either, so a few seconds later, Ashton's wrapped up in a kiss with Luke again. Which obviously turns into a make out session. Michael and Calum walk in on them, because according to Michael, they've apparently been looking for the two for 30 minutes.  
  
"I swear! I thought they were following us out of the room when we left a while ago," Luke heard Michael complain.  
  
"At least they aren't kissing on stage to release their sexual frustration on each other anymore," Ashton hears Calum say in the background.  
  
Ashton was disappointed when Luke broke away from the kiss to reply to Calum, but he was pretty amused at what he said anyway. "At least we didn't broadcast our love to each other on social media and pretend that they were song lyrics!" Luke shouted back.  
  
"At least I didn't purposely kiss Ashton in the Manila leg of the tour!"  
  
"That wasn't on purpose!" Luke protests.  
  
"Really? What happened to 'oh god Calum I really really want to do evil things to--"  
  
"Shut up Hood!"  
  
"What did you tell Calum?" Ashton asks evilly, smirking at Luke who was visibly cringing.  
  
"Nothing, can we just get back to kissing?" Luke whines, pouting again and looking at Ashton with the eyes that usually make him give in. Usually.  
  
"What did you say first?"  
  
Michael butts in, interrupting their banter. "I can tell it for you if you want Ash. As I recall correctly, Luke said 'oh god Calum I really really want to do evil things to Ashton Irwin's--"  
  
"MICHAEL"  
  
"--mouth because look at those plump lips. And don't get me started on his arms--"  
  
"THIS IS ABUSE"  
  
"--they're so well built, Calum. He's like a god and I'm just a scrawny human I could never.' And then I remember butting in and saying 'why don't you two just go suck each other off already, the sexual tension is highkey annoying," Michael finishes. Calum's almost dying at this point, unable to stop laughing ever since 'oh god Calum' and Ashton wouldn't blame him. He'd have joined in the laughter if Luke didn't have his arms crossed at the moment.  
  
"I'm leaving this band," Luke mutters, dragging Ashton out of the room, leaving Michael and Calum.  
  
"You'll never find a bassist as good as me!" Calum yells.  
  
"Or a guitarist as handsome as me," Michael adds.  
  
"We don't need you!" Ashton shouts back quickly before he gets pinned to the wall by Luke, his mouth getting attacked by Luke's.  
  
...  
  
So 5 Seconds of Summer ends up being this pop punk band that gained even more fans in the following years, despite all the members being openly gay artists. A few months after Luke and Ashton became official, Michael finally sat down with his mom and told her that he liked kissing boys, Calum Hood especially. He was banned from entering his home for, let's say a month, but it all paid off when he was finally able to kiss Calum on stage. After month of being banned, Michael's mom eventually said that she thought Malum was pretty cute.  
  
Lashton, on the other hand, wasn't all sunshines and rainbows either. While Luke and Ashton loved each other a lot, they still fought a lot over the most trivial things. But they work it out, every single time. Apparently, kissing on stage is highly therapeutic for both of them. Off stage too, but kissing during shows has always been their favorite.  
  
So it's another year, and 5 Seconds of Summer have released another album. They find themselves back in Manila, where it all started. The crowd is wild, three times the size of the crowd the previous year, and 10 times louder.  
  
Ashton grins and sends a cheeky wink at Luke before talking in his microphone.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, our next song for tonight is Kiss Me, Kiss me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it was kind of rushed. actually, this was supposed to be a sad ending type where in the relationship doesn't work due to the pressure of being in the same band + homophobes and stuff and then they're forced to break up in the end even if they love each other.
> 
> but i decided i'll save the sad stories for the future lMAO
> 
> so yes,, i'm also sad because lashton isn't really prominent these days but i love this ship to death aaaaa. anyway,, thanks for the journey even if it was short haha. chat me up if you want!! I'm @zildsos on twitter. that's all, ciao!

**Author's Note:**

> so yes um since this is chaptered, i'll be posting every other day. this story will have around 3 to 5 chapters i'm not sure. anyway, point is, you don't need to worry about me not updating because I already finished the story, i'm just not going to post it all in one go. okayy that's really it! until next chapter 💖


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